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New on the Open Europe Blog When it comes to giving the EU’s court power over crime and policing, Conservatives should not “let matters rest there” Open Europe Blog Commission banking union plans met with scepticism  Open Europe Blog Has Martin Schulz been receiving some good PR advice recently? Open Europe Blog
Daily Press Summary MPs to vote on EU crime opt-out today; Conservative Home: Tory MPs would be “justified” in voting against Government MPs will today vote on Coalition plans to opt-out of 133 EU crime and policing laws but then seek to opt back in to 35, including the European Arrest Warrant. The Mail reports that any rebellion over the opt-out is likely to be muted after Home Secretary Theresa May agreed to give parliamentary committees more time to report before a final decision on opting back in. Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph noted that the European Commission will on Wednesday announce plans for the creation of an EU prosecutor’s office. Mrs May declared that the Government will “not participate” in either the planned new prosecutor’s office or a “European police force.” Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, cites Open Europe’s Christopher Howarth’s article on the EU crime and policing block opt-out before concluding “there is little sign of enthusiasm in Downing Street or the Home Office, in the event of an opt-in, for the repatriation of powers under a future Conservative Government – despite the commitment in the last manifesto to return criminal justice powers. Tory MPs will be justified in voting against today's motion as a signal of intent.” The Irish Examiner notes that Open Europe has urged the Government to reform the European Arrest Warrant. Open Europe research Sunday Telegraph Sun Irish Times: Hennessy Irish Examiner Conservative Home: Goodman Opposition calls for Rajoy to resign as slush fund scandal reignites in Spain El Mundo yesterday revealed that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sent supportive text messages to his party’s former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas, asking him to deny the existence of secret accounting books allegedly showing that Rajoy and other senior members of his party had received slush-fund cash payments. The opposition Socialist party has called for Rajoy to resign “immediately”. Rajoy’s resignation would not automatically trigger snap elections. The Spanish Prime Minister is due to give a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk today. El Mundo El Mundo 2 El Mundo 3 El País El País 2 FT Expansión Open Europe’s blog analysis of the possible impact of Silvio Berlusconi’s trials on the stability of Italy’s coalition government is cited by Dutch daily de Volkskrant. Open Europe blog Volkskrant German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for tougher EU rules forcing internet companies – such as Facebook – to disclose who they pass personal information on to. Currently, different member states have their own systems in place. Referring to recent allegations of US spying, she added that "I expect a clear commitment from the US government that in future they will stick to German law”. BBC EUobserver Reuters Deutschland Spiegel Irish times Euractiv On Friday, Fitch downgraded France’s sovereign credit rating from AAA to AA+. France had already been stripped of its Triple A by Moody’s and S&P last year. Le Monde La Tribune FAZ Guardian Kathimerini reports that, at a conference to unite the Greek SYRIZA coalition into a single party, the party adopted as its official position the cancelling of Greece's EU-IMF memorandum and the renegotiation of its bailout agreement. Kathimerini The Sunday Telegraph reported that despite a pledge that the EU’s diplomatic service, the EEAS, would be “budget neutral”, it secured a £20 million increase this year, taking the annual bill for European diplomats and embassies to over £437 million. Sunday Telegraph Stephan Götzl, head of the Bavarian Association of Cooperative Banks (GVB), defended remarks he made last week comparing the EU’s banking union plans to Hitler’s Enabling Act. “It can’t happen that the European Commission clearly aims to increase its powers without a clear legal basis in the [EU] Treaty,” he said. Spiegel Der Spiegel reports that Germany could face an EU legal challenge over exemptions from its green energy levy for some energy-intensive firms which could be in breach of EU competition rules. Reuters Manager Magazin Handelsblatt Süddeutsche Zeit Telegraph EurActiv The first round of free trade negotiations between the EU and US concluded on Friday, and are scheduled to resume in Brussels in October. EUobserver The EU Commission has offered to drop the minimum import price for solar panels by 15% as a concession in the on-going EU-China trade dispute according to a confidential EU Commission document seen by German news agency DPA. FAZ An investigation by the Court of Auditors into €3bn worth of EU-funded road construction projects has found that insufficient attention was paid to cost-effectiveness. Motorways were built where express roads would have sufficed, with 14 out of 19 projects consequently recording less traffic-use than expected. Time overruns averaged 9 months or 41% when compared to the original deadlines. ECA Press release A poll by Finish daily Iltalehti indicates that a majority of Finns believe the current eurozone will disintegrate within the next five years, with the weaker countries dropping out of the monetary union. YLE Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland argues in the Mail that “I agree with Nick when he says it is not a case of if, but when, we have a referendum; but that means that the Liberal Democrats need to be seen to be committed to that ‘when’; and it must be in the next four years – by 2017 – to have any credibility.” Mail The Guardian reports that France has failed to secure support at the G20 for tough new international tax rules specifically targeting digital companies, such as Google and Amazon, following US opposition. Guardian  Hungary’s Economy Minster of the Economy, Mihaly Varga, said that Hungary will seek an early re-payment of its 2008 loan from IMF, which matures in March 2014. Politics.hu, BBJ, MN Anti-government protests in Bulgaria have now been taking place for over a month, reportsRzeczpospolita. Rzeczpospolita